Two-fifths of the public believe corruption is now a problem within the police, according to a new survey

In addition, a third of the public said they trust police less in the wake of incidents such as the Plebgate affair, Mark Duggan's shooting and the unmasking of Jimmy Savile as a serial sex offender, the poll for ITV's Tonight programme Can We Trust The Police? showed.

The survey of 2,000 people, conducted by OnePoll, found o ne in five say they do not believe the police are on their side, while 18% of people said they would hesitate to report or would definitely not report an issue to the police.

The show, which goes out at 7.30pm tonight, features interviews with Peter Garrigan, 26, who took the police to court after he was assaulted by an officer at a railway station in Liverpool, as well as Manizhah Moores, the sister of Bijan Ebrahimi, a man who was beaten to death outside his home by a neighbour who then set his body on fire in Bristol in July.